Ref. Ares(2017)3272684 - 29/06/2017
Ref. Ares(2019)3157032 - 13/05/2019
To:
KONIG Helena (TRADE); 4.1(b)
Cc:
4.1(b)
Subject:
Meeting with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung on EU-Indonesia trade relations, 27
June 2017 - Flash report
Participants
DG TRADE: 4.1(b)
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES): 4.1(b)
(Singapore office), 4.1(b)
(Brussels
office)
Key points
• The meeting took place at the request of FES, in the context of a broader series of meetings with
DG TRADE staff at the occasion of 4.1(b)
visit to Brussels.
• FES gave an overview of their "CLS+ study", which looks at working conditions in supply chains
through 4 case studies (Bangladesh, Cambodia, Pakistan and Vietnam). They confirmed they do
not intend to carry out additional case studies but considered that there are common trends in
South-East Asia, such as a decline in the level of workers' protection and a shrinking "policy
space" for governments, which in FES' view are due to the competitive pressure exerted by
global production networks.
• FES expressed interest in the ongoing FTA negotiations with Indonesia, and recalled that they
consider as priorities the inclusion of (1) binding labour provisions and of (2) easy entry points
for civil society, notably with regard to dispute settlement. In this respect, they referred to the
"model chapter" to be presented by 4.1(b)
on the following day and expressed concerns
with the fact that the civil society mechanisms under the EU-Korea FTA do not seem to be
functioning, notably pointing at a lack of understanding by Korean civil society on how to use
them. In this respect, FES considered that there have been some improvements in the text of the
EU-Vietnam FTA but that challenges remain as to the practical implementation.
• DG TRADE gave an update on the state of play of FTA negotiations with Indonesia, including on
the discussions on the trade and sustainable development chapter – stressing that this is a new
area for Indonesia, which however is engaging in the talks, and recalling that the EU approach
does foresee a binding chapter. DG TRADE welcomed that the FES office in Indonesia is in
contact with the EU Delegation in Jakarta.